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ILLUSTRATION BY BECI ORPIN / THE JACKY WINTER GROUP
online Katie Kervin Certifiably Digital
Dx3 — Canada’s digital trade show — was the Metro Toronto Convention Centre’s first hybrid event since its certification as a Digital Event Center.
W
hen the organizers of Dx3 Canada decided to add a vir- tual component to their event
this past March 6–7 in Toronto, they had twin goals. Because the second annual conference and trade show — dedicated to digital marketing, advertising, and retailing — drew most of its 3,800-plus attendees from around the city, the first objective was to “get some exposure outside the greater Toronto area,” said Duncan Payne, co-founder of Hut2Hut Events, which produces Dx3. “Spe- cifically on the West Coast, … to entice people to actually fly out next year.” Second, Payne hoped that by providing some of the first day’s content virtually
— including a broadcast of two keynote addresses — to local non-attendees, it would encourage them to register to attend the second day of the conference. To achieve those goals, Dx3 found an ally in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC), which also places a high value on all things digital. Dx3 was the first hybrid event held at MTCC since it was certified by Virtual Edge Institute (VEI) as a Digital Event Center — meaning that the facility has been assessed by VEI representa- tives to ensure that it is equipped to plan and execute digital events. Bill McDonald, MTCC’s chief information officer, emphasized that adding a vir- tual component to a meeting is all about “defining expectations — because virtual meetings can mean a lot of things. There are varying amounts of facets and varying amounts of complexities.” With the help of Ray Culliton,
MTCC’s assistant director of event coordination, and other suppliers, the keynote addresses — which were open
to both paying conference attendees and expo visi- tors — were streamed, with interviews and content from the trade-show floor inserted in between to keep attendees engaged. From coordinating the
audiovisual supplier and show decorator to deploying its in-house telecommunica- tions team, MTCC was well prepared to execute the event — in part because of the training offered through VEI. “The advantages of VEI itself are their program, their education,” said Culliton, who at press time was com- pleting VEI training to become certified as a Digital Event Strategist (DES). “They basically walk you through from start to finish in their education modules with principles, theories, and industry experts.” Payne wasn’t satisfied to have the
virtual component provide content to off-site viewers and just leave it at that — it was important for him and his team to analyze participant data after the show. They were able to tell how many people had registered for the livestreamed sessions, how many of those were from outside the Toronto area, and that 30 percent of virtual attendees actually showed up in person to register on the second day of the conference. “But the real proof will be with the
2014 event, to see if we pick up any of the people or any of the out-of-town- ers,” Payne said. “That’ll be the real gem for us.”
. Katie Kervin is an assistant editor of Convene.
Going Live Dx3 livestreamed content at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre to attract more in-person registrants this year and next.
BREAKOUT
‘The Potential to Revolutionize’
Kevin Halfpenny is the manager of events at Toronto’s Children’s Aid Foundation — and, thanks to a donation from communica- tions and technology company bxb, a recently certified Digital Event Strategist through Virtual Edge Institute.
“Digital events carry the potential to revolutionize how traditional face-to-face events are produced and marketed while vastly increasing their scope and reach,” Halfpenny said in a recent inter- view with PCMA. “[T]here is a real opportunity in the coming years for digital event professionals to educate businesses on the grow- ing number of studies proving the viability and profit-generating potential of the medium — either in a hybrid combination with an existing physical event or as its outright replacement.”
ON THE WEB
› For more information about Dx3, visit dx3canada.com.
› To read PCMA’s full interview with Kevin Halfpenny, visit convn.org/pcma-halfpenny.
SEPTEMBER 2013 PCMA CONVENE 37